Return of the Nightwalkers
by chilled monkey
Summary: Nora and Maxine discover that the threat of the Covendale Spore is not over.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from "The Nightwalkers" written by Otto Coontz. No profit is being made from this story.

Author's Note: In "The Nightwalkers" Nora and Maxine are thirteen. This story is set several years after the novel; both of them are now about eighteen and are in college. This story depicts a loving relationship between two women. If you find this to be offensive, do not read. 

Nora sat up in bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes and squinting into the darkened room. Beside her, Maxine slept on soundly, her breathing soft and rhythmic. Not wanting to disturb her girlfriend, Nora carefully slipped out of bed and padded over to the window. She wore her usual sleeping clothes, a pair of white boxers and a black t-shirt. Pulling back the curtain slightly, she frowned as she recognised the source of the noise that had woken her and stopped her getting back to sleep for hours now.

Outside it was raining heavily. Dark grey clouds covered the sky and the rain fell in thick torrents. The street below was rapidly becoming flooded as raindrops danced on the surface of the water.

Nora sighed and turned away from the dreary grey sight. She knew that she had no chance of getting back to sleep now. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Despite the dimness, she could see that it was half past nine.

To take her mind off the weather, she looked at Maxine. She was lying on her side, her dark brown hair contrasting sharply with the white pillow and the white pyjamas she wore. Her left arm was outstretched, lying across Nora's side of the bed, while her right arm was curled up over her head. Her features twitched as she slept and Nora wondered what she was dreaming about. Nora reached out and lightly stroked the pale skin of her girlfriend's arm.

Maxine began to stir, murmuring softly. Her large ocean blue eyes opened and blinked a few times. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Half past nine" Nora answered. "I'm sorry I woke you".

"It's okay" Maxine replied as she sat up, stretching her body like a cat. "Sleep well?" she asked.

Nora shook her head. "It's pouring down outside. I kept waking up all night".

"Aww honey" Maxine reached out and stroked Nora's hair, lighter than her own. She knew that Nora found it difficult to sleep when it was raining.

For a moment, they were both silent. Then Nora asked, "do you still want to go shopping today? It's not really the weather for it".

"I know" Maxine agreed. "But it's my mom's birthday tomorrow and I still need to get her a card".

She got out of bed, switched on the light and began dressing herself. Unlike her girlfriend, Maxine had always been a morning person.

"What about the disappearances?" Nora persisted. "I mean you've read the papers. Three people have gone missing in the last week, all from this college".

"I'll be careful" Maxine replied as she finished putting on a pair of blue jeans and a red sweatshirt.

Nora shook her head. "I'm coming with you" she insisted.

Maxine was about to protest, but stopped herself when she saw the concerned look on the other girl's face. "Thanks Nora, I appreciate that. Okay, we'll go together. Let's wait a few minutes in case the rain eases up".


	2. Chapter 2

Some time later, when the rain had momentarily stopped, Nora and Maxine left the room they shared, and went into town. Both girls wore thick coats against the damp chilly air. They walked quickly, trying to get back before the rain resumed.

Nora shivered as she looked around. Although it was still morning, it was so dark that it might as well have been evening. Puddles of water glistened everywhere she looked.

The thought occurred to her that they had not seen another person since they had left the college. That was hardly surprising of course, but it still bothered her.

Maxine seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "This is creepy" she commented. "It reminds me of when everyone was sick and the streets were empty".

Nora winced at the mention of that. It was not something she liked to think about.

Five years ago, a strange disease had broken out in the small town of Covendale. Those afflicted, children and early teens, had developed a blistering rash whenever their skin was exposed to light. They were also highly sensitive to heat and were unable to eat anything. Nora's brother, Tony, had been amongst the first victims.

The worst part though was that the disease changed people, turning them mean, hostile, dangerous. At night, they would roam the streets looking for people to attack and infect. Nora and Maxine had learned this after narrowly escaping attacks on themselves. No–one believed them, of course, with the exception of Mrs. Cribbins, the housekeeper of their neighbours, the Cravens.

It had been Maxine who had suggested that prolonged exposure to light might cure those infected. She had said that if she had the disease, then she would want someone to take the risk.

It had been an ominous foreseeing. She had become infected. It happened during a failed attempt by her and Nora to try to cure the first reported case of the epidemic, Martin Craven.

Two nights later she had gone to Nora's house. There, Nora had let her inside and then turned on every light in the room. The angry red rash had spread over her pale skin, a greenish vapour had emerged from her mouth and finally she had become perfectly still.

Nora could still feel the tears that had poured down her face as she held on to the other girl, whispering her name repeatedly. She remembered in perfect detail how her feelings had gone from despair to relief and joy when the rash vanished and Maxine had opened her eyes and sat up. The light had cured her completely.

It turned out that the disease was the result of a common mould that had been mutated by exposure to certain pesticides. Eventually, all of the infected had been returned to normal.

Maxine didn't remember anything from her time among what the newspapers had dubbed 'the Nightwalkers'. Neither had Tony. Nora on the other hand, had been plagued by nightmares for months afterwards. Nightmares in which the light had killed Maxine, or worse, in which it failed to cure her and she and the others remained Nightwalkers forever.

Over time, the nightmares became less frequent. By the time she had started college, they had almost completely faded.

_Faded, that was the key word_ she thought bleakly. She doubted that they would ever be gone entirely.

"Nora, are you okay?"

Maxine's concerned voice startled Nora out of her thoughts and back to the present. "I'm fine," she answered.

Maxine took her hand and squeezed it gently. "You sure?"

"It's nothing," Nora replied. "I just don't like to think about those times. Seeing you like that, it was so awful".

Maxine cursed inwardly. How could she have failed to realise that reminding Nora of that whole horrifying incident would upset her?

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Max, it's okay, really" Nora insisted.

Maxine relaxed. She looked up at the sky, still obscured by clouds. "We'd better hurry before it starts raining again".

"Definitely" Nora agreed as they quickened their pace.

Trying to think of something else, Nora's thoughts turned to how their relationship had started.

In a way, the events of the epidemic had helped her realise how she really felt about her friend, although it had still taken years for her to fully acknowledge it. At first she had tried to dismiss the feelings, telling herself that it was something all girls went through. At sixteen she had finally admitted to herself what they really meant.

The hardest part had been telling her best friend that she had a crush on her, although Maxine had made it somewhat easier when she had come out to Nora. Nora had been so delighted that she had almost blurted out how she felt then and there. Instead she had kept quiet about it and simply said that Maxine was her best friend and nothing would change that.

Finally Nora had plucked up the courage to ask her out. She had been a little surprised, but had agreed. Their first date was followed by a second, then a third and so on. Their feelings had grown and strengthened.

Their families had been mostly accepting of the relationship, although Nora's parents had needed some time to get used to it. Tony, on the other hand had been nothing but supportive.

Nora was smiling now. _Yes,_ she thought. _Despite the terrible events of five years ago, everything had turned out all right._


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

It did not take long for them to find a shop and buy a card. As they were heading back to college, the rain started up again. Maxine sighed and flicked her hood up. Nora did the same.

The rain was fairly light when it started, but in no time at all, it had become a heavy downpour. The two girls twined their fingers together and trudged on through the gloom. Neither of them noticed someone watching them from the shadows of an alleyway. A hood was drawn over his head, further obscuring his features. His eyes glinted coldly and he hissed softly. He silently followed them, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.

Nora and Maxine were uneasy. Both of them felt something was amiss, but neither wanted to say it aloud. Finally, Nora glanced over her shoulder. She tensed as she caught a glimpse of movement.

"Max, I think someone's following us," she whispered.

"We should keep walking, we're nearly there." Maxine whispered back.

They quickened their pace and continued on their way, trying not to glance behind them. They were on campus now, following the paths to the dorms. Nora risked a look. She could see no one.

Just as she was starting to relax, a lanky, hooded figure stepped out from behind a well-trimmed hedge.

"Run!" she cried.

Ignoring the path, they raced across the lawn. Behind them the hooded man also broke into a run.

They burst through the door and sprinted up the stairs. If either of them had looked back, they would have seen the stranger back away from the door, hissing like an enraged snake. He ran to the nearest patch of shadow. There he waited for a moment before hurrying back the way he had come.

Nora unlocked the door to the dorm room and they practically fell inside. She slammed the door closed and locked it. Both of them were panting as the shock and rush of adrenaline began to wear off. They squeezed each other's hands.

The man who had chased them seemed so much like…

No, it can't be. Everyone was cured. The disease was wiped out. Besides, how could he have been out during the day? None of the kids who got sick could go out in daylight, even when it was like today.

"That was too close" Maxine gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You?"

"Me too. "

Nora sat down heavily on the bed. Maxine sat next to her and gently rubbed her back. "Hey, we're okay. We're safe now."

"I know. Thank you."

Nora considered mentioning the thought she had had about their pursuer. She pushed the idea out of her head. There was no chance of it.

"I hope that your mom appreciates that," she said.

They both laughed nervously.

The next day they both had classes. Although they were still shaken from what had happened yesterday, they decided to go to them.

As she entered the lecture hall, Nora glanced briefly at her reflection in the window.

Not bad she thought. She had always been sensitive about her weight and facial features. Over the last few years she had gotten a lot more comfortable with herself.

She shook her head, laughing at herself over her moment of vanity and took a seat.

As much as she tried to pay attention, as the lecture went on her mind started to wander. She looked out of the window. She tensed at what she saw.

The man in the hood, the same one that had chased them the previous day, was standing outside! Although his face was still obscured, she could see that his clothes were tatty and worn. Thick gloves covered his hands.

Realising that he'd been seen, the stranger turned and hurried away. Nora trembled as she watched him go.

It can't be she kept repeating to herself. It can't be.

After class, she was still badly shaken. She didn't notice Tony walking up to her. "Hey, Nora" he called, startling her.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh sure, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something. It's nothing important."

Tony frowned but decided not to push it.

"Don't you have football now?" Nora asked.

"I would, but it's been called off because of the rain. Coach said that the pitch is too wet."

"That's too bad."

"Tell me about it. There's something else too. One of the guys in the team, Brad, never showed up. No –one knows where he is."

"I'm sure he'll turn up." Despite her words, Nora felt a shiver run down her spine.


	4. Chapter 4

As much as she tried not to think about what she'd seen, Nora felt a growing sense of dread throughout the day. That evening, as the sun began to set, she finally decided to share her thoughts.

"Max, something happened during my history class."

"What was that?"

"That strange guy from yesterday, the one that chased us. I saw him outside the window. I'm sure of it."

"Scary. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. That's not the only thing." She paused for a moment and then added, "I think maybe he was infected. You know with that sickness? From five years ago?"

Maxine shook her head. "Nora how could that have happened? All of the spores were destroyed. Besides, if that guy was infected, how could he have been out while its still day?"

"I'm not sure," Nora admitted. "Look, the spore was a mutation of regular mould. Maybe it could have mutated again. Maybe that would make it more resistant to light."

As Maxine was about to reply, she noticed something. Her eyes widened in alarm and she pointed behind Nora. "There's someone at the window!"

Nora turned and screamed as she saw hands beating against the window. She took hold of a reading lamp and turned it around. At once, the figure at the window screeched and ran away, covering their eyes.

For a moment Nora and Maxine stared at the window, unable to believe what had just happened. Then they both shook their heads as the shock started to wear off. Maxine locked the door and switched on the main light.

That wasn't the one I saw earlier Nora thought. How many people have become infected?

Maxine seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Was that the same one you saw?"

"No, that was someone else."

"The light" Maxine said. "He still ran from the light. They aren't completely immune. Look, the last few days have been very cloudy and overcast. That must be how they can get about."

Nora nodded. "But stronger light still works."

"Exactly."

Nora was silent for a moment, and then she said, "I have to call Tony. He has to know."

"Of course."

Nora quickly called her brother. Her knuckles turned white as she squeezed the receiver. After a moment, he answered.

"Hello."

"Tony, its Nora. Listen very carefully. This is urgent."

"What is it?"

"It's come back Tony. The sickness has come back."

"But Nora, that's…"

"Tony, it has, trust me."

"Okay. What do we do?"

"Stay inside, keep a light on always and don't go out when it's dark. Call all of your friends and tell them to do the same."

"I will. Be careful."

"You too."

Nora hung up and turned to Maxine. Both of them knew that it would be a very long night.

Somehow, despite her fear, Maxine managed to fall asleep. As she slept, she dreamed.

In her dream, she was walking through a dark street. Around her were a dozen young teens, thirteen to fifteen years old, barefoot and dressed in nightclothes. Their faces were dull and lifeless, the colour of dead wheat. Their eyes seemed unnaturally wide and saliva glistened from the corners of their mouths.

Maxine was struck by a strong sense of familiarity. She knew that she had been here before.

As she watched, two boys at the front of the group stopped and turned to look back at the others. Smiling coldly they pointed to something lying in a corner. At first Maxine thought that it was just a bundle of rags. Then it moved slightly and she realised that someone was lying under the bundle.

A man lifted his head from under the rags. He blinked bleary eyes, trying to focus.

One of the boys reached down and took hold of the man's head. He lowered his head to exhale spore-laden air into his nose and mouth. Maxine tried to cry out and go to his aid but something kept her from moving. She could only watch as the half-asleep man struggled. Even as he woke completely, it was too late. He stopped struggling and stood up calmly. His eyes were wide and his thin lips glistened.

Maxine awoke with a start. Nora, already awake, turned to her concernedly. "Max, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Nora, I think I know what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I know how the disease is back."

"How?"

"I just had a dream. Except that I don't think it was a dream, I think it was a memory. I saw a group of kids that were infected. They came across a man in the street. Homeless, I think. Nora, they changed him."

She paused for a moment and then continued. "I think that what I saw happened when I was infected. This man could have hidden away while the kids were all found. No-one would have missed him."

Nora nodded. "I'll call my dad."

Maxine blinked. "What time is it?"

"Nine o'clock." Her voice turned grim as she added, "the sun's up. We should be safe."

She called her father, Dr. Lane at the hospital. He listened gravely as she described what was happening.

"I see. Nora, I'm afraid that there isn't much I can do. This is technically a missing persons case. I'll contact the police and let them know to search dark places well away from any light sources."

"Thanks dad."

"Thank you for telling me Nora" he replied.

"No problem dad. Bye."

She hung up and turned to Maxine. "Dad says he'll talk to the police. He'll tell them where to look."

"That's good."

"There's one thing I don't understand. This man you remembered. Where was he for five years?"

A few miles away from Covendale there was a deep-water bay. The coastal cliffs housed a network of caves that had been eroded out of the rock.

Deep within one of those caves, a form sat cross-legged, patiently waiting. Even this far underground, he knew instinctively that the sun was up. It would be hours until sunset when he could roam freely. That thought did not bother him at all. A few hours made no difference.

Five years ago, he had been a drifter named Derek Vinyard. After he had become infected with the Covendale Spore, he had quickly headed out of town and hidden himself away deep within these caves. He had intended to wait until the sun went down, then he would return.

What he had not known however was that he had possessed a heart defect, a slight irregularity in his left ventricle. A blood cot only slightly larger than a sand grain had been all it took to kill him.

Derek had died that night, but the spore that had overtaken him had not. Proving itself to be saprophytic, it had consumed his dead tissues. Finally, he had risen, restored to some semblance of life. Through trial and error, he had discovered that he could now tolerate weak light, allowing him to briefly emerge during heavy cloud, although he still kept to shadow as much as he could.

He looked over at his fellows, those he had attacked and changed so they were like him. Their numbers were few for the moment, but they would grow.

"Soon" he whispered. "Very soon."


	5. Chapter 5

Nora frowned as she looked out of the window, wondering what to do. She thought about the last time she and Maxine had tried to convince people of the danger and had been faced with disbelief. Hopefully, this time things would be different. Her father had given her the benefit of the doubt, after all. However the fact remained that they had no evidence that the disease was back or that it was the reason for the disappearances.

Maxine was mostly thinking the same thing. Something else was bothering her as well.

_Why are they hiding? The last time, all the kids who were infected didn't hide. They stayed at home and only came out at night. They knew that because they reacted badly to light, their families would keep them away from it. _

A disturbing thought occurred to her. Could it be that she had urged them to alter their behaviour? Was that why the infection had managed to survive?

She shook her head to clear it. There was no way to know and wondering about it weren't helping at all.

Nora looked at her, distracted from her own thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking that if the disease is back what do we do about it?"

"There's not much we can do" Nora replied. "I mean we could warn people, but we don't have any evidence. Besides, most people are staying in after dark anyway because of the disappearances. Last time we had somewhere to start with." Her expression darkened briefly as she thought about their experience at the Craven house. "Even if these people do have the disease where would we start looking for them?"

"I know." Maxine sighed in exasperation. "But there must be something we can do."

"Hey" Nora said, gently touching her arm. "This isn't like before, when people wouldn't believe us. Everyone knows about the spore now."

"You're right" Maxine replied. "But Nora, they came after us specifically."

"What do you mean?"

"Firstly there was that guy who chased us in the rain. Then one of them appeared outside your class. Then last night, another shows up right at our window. Doesn't that seem a little too much for coincidence?"

Nora frowned, not wanting to admit it, but seeing what Maxine was saying. "Yes it does," she admitted. "But Max, why would they be coming after us?"

"Maybe because of what we did during the last time," Maxine suggested.

"It's possible" Nora admitted. "But we should be okay as long as we keep lights on at night and stay in after dark."

"I suppose you're right," said Maxine. She considered talking to Nora about her earlier fears but decided against it. There was no need to worry her with it.

_ She was my best friend for years and there's no one I'm closer to_ she thought. _Whatever happens we face it together._

The next few days passed without incident. Neither of them observed anything amiss, although they were still careful to turn a light on as soon as it got dark. Nora called her father again, but he said that no infected people had been found.

That Friday marked the end of term. Both Nora and Maxine had managed to keep their concerns from affecting their studies, but they were both feeling stressed. Nora decided it would be a good idea to get out of town for a while. She suggested it that afternoon.

"A trip to the beach?" Maxine asked. "Sure, why not? The rain's finally stopped and we can see the sun for a change."

She glanced out of the window. In fact it was a beautiful day, with a blue sky, relatively few clouds and a gentle breeze stirring a few nearby trees.

Nora nodded. "Exactly. A change of scenery will be good for us."

"We could take a look at the cliffs," Maxine suggested. "I haven't seen them in years."

"Me neither. Okay, let's go."

It did not take long to get to the shore. They took a bus to the outskirts of town and walked the rest of the way. When they arrived the beach was empty, save for a few seagulls. A breeze blew in from the sea, and pieces of driftwood were scattered around. Despite the sunshine, the breeze kept the air cool.

Nora couldn't stop herself from frowning as she looked at the gulls. _It started with seagulls_ she thought. She pushed it away. After all, they had come here to forget about their worries for a while.

Standing side by side, fingers entwined, they looked out over the sea as the breeze ruffled their hair. Nora closed her eyes and inhaled the sea air. It felt good, as if it were cleansing her worries away.

"I'm glad we came here," she said.

"Me too" Maxine agreed.

They spent a relaxing few minutes wandering over the sandy shores, enjoying the quiet. After a while, they turned towards the path that led up to the cliffs.

_ The view is nice_ Maxine thought as she looked out over the ocean and at the white waves crashing into the rock face. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the waves and the wind. Opening her eyes again, she studied the cliffs, examining the varying colours and textures of rock, and the patterns of erosion.

She blinked in surprise as she noticed something else. There, not far away, was what looked like a cave entrance. At first she thought it might just be a shadow, but a closer look assured her that it was indeed a cave. Without realising it, she began walking towards it. She caught herself, stopped and shook her head in confusion.

"Max, are you okay?" Nora asked.

"I'm fine" she replied. She pointed. "Look over there."

Nora looked. "Is that a cave?"

"Yes it is. Let's take a look inside."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"We'll be careful. And we don't need to go deep underground, just a little way in."

Nora thought about it for a moment. "Okay. Not too far though."

"Sure."

They walked over to the cave entrance and stepped inside, shivering a little as they went from the bright sunshine to the cool, dark interior.

_ Wow_ Maxine thought as she looked around in fascination. The cave was bigger than she had expected, with plenty of room around them and a high ceiling. Here and there, small fossils appeared on the damp walls. In the distance she could hear water dripping into an underground pool, the sound echoing faintly. Passages in the rock led off in different directions, making her wonder just how far underground the caves went.

Nora was also fascinated by what she saw. In spite of her earlier misgivings, she was glad that they had gone inside. She examined one particular fossil, trying to remember what it was called. They had talked about this in one of her classes. Then it came to her; it was a trilobite.

A few minutes later she stopped, surprised by how dim it was. She realised that they had unconsciously wandered further from the entrance.

She was about to call to Maxine to say that they should go back when she heard a sound. At first she thought that she had imagined it, but no, there was definitely something. It sounded like shuffling footsteps.

"Max, do you hear that?" she whispered.

Maxine nodded. "We should get out of here," she whispered back, suddenly realising exactly how dark their surroundings were.

They turned to leave, but before either of them could take a step they saw something that made them freeze.

Standing a safe distance away from the sunlight pouring in from the cave entrance were two teenage boys. Nora and Maxine had seen them around college and knew them by sight but not by name. Their faces were drained of colour, with enlarged pupils and chilling, feral smiles.

_Oh no_ Nora thought as they backed away. She could dimly make out a passageway in the rock behind the two teens. That had to be where they had come from.

_Maybe we can slip around them_ she thought. _It's not far to the light. If we can just get to it we'll be safe.  
_  
That hope was abruptly dashed, as two others appeared from out of the shadows, another guy, a little older than the first two, and a girl. All four began to spread out, cutting off all angles of escape, taking care not to leave too much space between them.

Abruptly one of them sprang forwards. Nora and Maxine barely managed to sidestep in time and he crashed into a wall. He stumbled back, gripping his head and growling in pain.

"This way!" Nora shouted. They ran down another passageway, all four of the infected teens giving chase.


	6. Chapter 6

They ran as fast as they could. Fortunately they were still close to the surface. Here and there, the ocean had eroded parts of the rock away enough to allow shafts of sunlight in, just enough to provide sufficient illumination to see where they were going. Even so, it was a struggle to keep from tripping and their eyes strained from trying to see in the dimness. The thin beams of radiance also helped slow down their hunters as they were forced to dodge around them, squinting and shielding their own eyes against the light.

Nora and Maxine scrambled up a series of ledges. Maxine lost her footing and stumbled, but Nora caught her before she could fall. As she did so, she noticed something and pointed at it. Maxine saw it too and nodded quickly.

The first of the teens climbed onto the top ledge. To his surprise neither of them was anywhere to be seen.

Huddled in an alcove, Nora held her breath and watched as several pairs of feet moved across her field of view. She felt her heart hammering against her ribs so hard she was certain that their pursuers would be able to hear it. Next to her, Maxine crouched awkwardly. She had gotten used to her height years ago, but there were definitely times, such as now, when it was a problem.

The thought occurred to both of them that if their hiding place was discovered, then all their pursuers would need to do would be to exhale spore-laden air into the alcove and wait until they were forced to inhale. Their only hope was that they wouldn't notice it. Both of them held hands firmly, drawing strength from each other as the seconds ticked by with agonising slowness. Finally the last one moved past.

"We have to get out of here Max," Nora whispered.

"Let's wait a moment, just to make sure they're gone" Maxine replied.

"Okay."

Maxine paused a moment and then said, "this must be where all the missing people have been hiding, in these caves. It's not far from town. They could easily get there and then return before the sun came up."

Nora nodded. "They must be gone by now. Let's get out of here."

"Okay."

They climbed up out of the alcove and started to retrace their steps back towards the cave entrance, taking care to move quickly but still making as little noise as possible.

As the entrance came into view, Nora felt a surge of relief. _As soon as we're out of here we can call my dad_ she thought. _All of the people who've been infected can be cured. _

Just then she heard the familiar sound of running feet hitting the rocky floor. It was close and getting closer. She looked at Maxine who nodded; she heard it too. Without looking back they started to run as well.

The light streaming in from the mouth of the cave promised safety. Nora knew that it wasn't far, but at this moment it seemed to be miles away. She quickened her pace frantically.

Then, without warning, her foot struck a rock. She cried out in alarm as she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Maxine skidded to a halt and turned back to help her. Before she could take a step she caught sight of something behind Nora. Instantly she froze in horror.

Nora hesitated. A second later, something slammed into her and pushed her to the ground. Hands gripped her shoulders and turned her over. She looked up at her attacker.

_What in_… Her mind halted in disbelief for a brief second before she screamed.

Maxine stared in shock at their pursuer. Its eyes bulged grotesquely, seemingly too big for their sockets. They were solid black and as emotionless as a shark's. It was tall and almost skeletally thin, with furry, greenish skin that glowed with dim phosphorescence. But a closer look showed that it was neither fur nor skin. It was mould. The creature appeared to have been sculpted entirely from glowing green mould.

Nora stopped screaming and closed her mouth firmly as it leaned down and breathed out a stream of luminous particles. She held her breath, refusing to inhale the spores as she struggled with the creature.

Seeing it happen in front of her, Maxine's mind went back five years to the night that she and Nora had gone into the Craven house in the hope of using light to cure Martin Craven of the disease. They had been forced to take refuge in the house's basement. There, they had been attacked by Cecil McNab. He had unknowingly created the Covendale spore through his overuse of pesticides and had been the first human to be infected by it. He had been the one who had infected her with the disease.

His long period of exposure had changed him far more than anyone else. His eyes had been insect-like, huge and black, and patches of mould had covered his skin. Looking at the creature in front of her, she realised, appalled, that this would have been the final result of what Cecil and anyone else infected by the Covendale spore would have eventually become.

_It's him. The man in my dream. The infection survived in him_.

The creature hissed in anger as the particles it had exhaled stopped glowing and settled to the ground. Nora risked opening her mouth to yell, "Max!"

Maxine snapped out of her stunned trance. "Nora!"

She ran forwards and tried to pull the creature away from Nora. Baring its teeth, it easily shoved her away. She lost her footing and fell to the ground.

"Max!" Nora redoubled her efforts to get away from her attacker, but it effortlessly kept its grip.

Maxine scrambled to her feet and prepared herself to charge again, when an idea came to her. She hurried over to the cave entrance and took a small mirror out of her pocket. "Hey!" she shouted at the top of her voice.

The creature looked over at her as she lifted the mirror, angling it so that the light was reflected into its eyes. It howled in pain, covering its bulging eyes as it fell back. Nora pushed it away, got up and ran to join Maxine.

_We made it! We're safe!_

Shrieking madly, the creature that had once been a drifter named Derek Vinyard stood and hurled itself at them, its self-preservation instinct momentarily over-ridden by anger and the insatiable need to spread its infection. An instant later it realised its mistake and tried to stop its forward charge, but it was too late. It plunged forwards…

Into the sunlight.

The effect was instantaneous. Although the spore's latest mutation allowed it to tolerate the dim light of a heavily overcast day, it could not survive the full brightness of mid-day. And its body was composed almost entirely of the mould, having bonded to and over time, replaced the human tissue.

It exploded into a cloud of ash. Fine, grey powder swirled around in the air as it slowly settled down to the ground. White fragments of bone were thrown up into the air to fall back down and embed themselves in the sand.

Nora and Maxine stared for a moment at the remains. Then both of them hugged each other tightly, not needing to speak. They knew that they were safe, and more importantly, they were together.

Two days later.

Maxine looked up from the book she was reading as Nora put the telephone down. "That was my dad," she said. "He said that the police found all of the missing kids and took them to him for treatment. He's going to keep them in for observation, but all signs are that they're fine now."

Maxine sighed deeply, closing her eyes in relief.

That night Maxine was standing in front of a window, staring up into the sky. It was filled with countless twinkling stars and a full moon shone brightly.

She smiled softly, thinking back to another night when she had looked up at the sky. For as long as she could remember she had seen the night as a time of wonder and dreams. Then five years ago, when the disease had broken out, then night became something to be feared. She recalled how it had seemed to her then. A night of hunger. A hunger for things dying. Now, looking out of the window at the starry, moonlit sky, that fear was gone. The night was once again a glittering mystery, filled with magic and hopes.

She had been happy these last five years; of that there was no question. But now she felt more at peace, knowing that an old ghost had been laid to rest and something precious had been returned to her.

Nora stirred and opened her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked, wondering why Maxine was standing by the window.

"I'm okay" she replied. She laughed quietly. "I was just looking at the stars. They're beautiful."

Nora nodded in understanding. She got up and walked up to her. For a moment they just stood and looked at the moonlit sky. Then Nora said, "you're right. They are beautiful."

They rested their heads against each other.

End.


End file.
